The Llano News
Home
Subscribe
Advertise
Classifieds
Contact Us
Hill Country Passport
Hill Country Current
Blanco County News
Horseshoe Bay Beacon
Mason County News
Johnson City Record Courier
The Llano News

The Llano News

May 10, 2017 Issue

The Llano Special Olympians traveled to Fredericksburg High School to participate in the Local Special Olympics Track meet on April 27. Llano was well represented with 10 students participating, each in one field event and one track event. The athletes trained for seven weeks prior to their competition. A very special Thank You goes out to Madox Green, Jackson Dillard, Brock Fly, Remi Easley, Erin Waters, Ross Prokop and Paige Keele.
On Saturday night, the Hill Country Livestock Raisers Association (HCLRA) held its 67th annual banquet at the John L Kuykendall Event Center. This night is reserved for honoring the working cowboy, the way of life by many in Llano County, and singling out one that has stood out over the years. For 2017, Robert Cowan introduced a gentleman that has devoted his entire life to being a cowboy, a man that turned down a chance in the professional sports arena, to remain a rodeo cowboy, Jimmy Duecker.
A new nursing home facility could soon find its home in Llano. The county commissioners on Monday approved a request from Jason Caraway of Llano Senior Living Facility, LLC, to ask for a rural county waiver from the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services for additional Medicaid nursing facility beds in the county.
Family members, friends and co-workers recently surprised Carol Sheppard, longtime office manager of The Llano News, with a lunch in her honor. Sheppard (pictured front, center) spent more than 11 dedicated years at the newspaper before her retirement last week. Thank you for all of your hard work, and best wishes as you “move on to your next assignment!”
Stationed on the south side of the Llano Courthouse, the row of tailgaters, otherwise known as the Llano Farmers Market, is now in its seventh season and offers up a variety of personalities and produce. The opening act is Jimbo Miller, who is appropriately outfitted in overalls and Converse All Stars, turns up with his turnips then tunes up his fiddle to help pass the time and entertain the shoppers.
All three propositions on the City of Llano ballot passed Saturday. Residents approved bond propositions to fix the city’s streets, and repair the swimming pool and give funds to parks. Residents also approved a local option election to allow the sale of all alcoholic beverages, including mixed beverages. Proposition 1, the $4.785 million bond measure to repair all of the city’s streets, passed with 66.36 percent of the vote (288 to 146).
Katherine McDonough and Roberto Alcala were crowned Llano High School Prom Queen and King on Saturday night.
HORSESHOE BAY— Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby delivered a short speech to the Sports Club, May 9, but he answered more questions than Sean Spicer gets, so we’d better move along or this will be a twopart series. Media sources “We may be seeing the Super Bowl on our eyelids some day.” So many people are using their computers, phones, and iPads, “ESPN has lost 14-million subscribers.” Championship Game It returns to the Big 12 this football season.
Don’t worry about Pete Rhoades being concerned with the Thomas Wolfe warning, “You Can’t Go Home Again.” It appears he wants to go anywhere but home. I knew him in Llano, 2010-2014. Many of us thought the “old coach” was retiring when he left the Jackets, but his odyssey was just continuing.
BURNET—Progress. I know, 7-on-7 is unofficial with no tackling and no booth reviews, but it’s all we’ve got for offseason football, so the plan is to show some hope for later summer and autumn -- and the Jackets, May 8, did that.  “A lot better,” said Head Coach Craig Slaughter, contrasting the performance with opening night one week before.
This season started in Blanco a month before winter crossed its finish line, and the journey has included trips to Lampasas and Burnet, Waco and Huntsville. Next up—with the State Capitol looking on from Section C (Congress)—it’s the last stop in the pursuit of high school’s greatest prize: a state championship. “Pretty excited,” said Ray Dixon.
Charles Winfred (PeeWee) Smathers passed away May 6, 2017 at the age of 83. PeeWee lived most of his life in the small town of Valley Spring. PeeWee was born Jan. 23, 1934 in Brownsville, to Forrest and Ella Mae (Heyen) Smathers. He was one of seven children – James, Frances, Marion (Bud), Lester (Sleepy), Harriet and Marilyn. Pee Wee attended college in Uvalde.
Dear Editor, Some residents of Llano may be wondering why the Llano Alliance for Drug Intervention is all “gung ho” for the creation of a Boys and Girls Club of America for elementary school children in Kingsland instead of in Llano. The answer is because it is needed more there, according to former school Superintendent Casey Callahan, who had met with LADI to discuss school drug problems last fall.

Social Club